Does your team speak the same language?

When I work with teams it is also interesting for them to get an understanding of how they communicate. Do they really listen to each other? Does everyone's voice get heard? Do they ensure that they have a common understanding? Are they assuming too much? I love using experiential tools as rather than someone telling them its more powerful for them to experience it and have an 'Aha' moment.

I find ColourBlind really effective for this. It was developed in 1991 for training Air Traffic Controllers in the UK to communicate effectively. When you think of it the air traffic controller's are on the ground  the pilots are in the air have different visual environment and yet they have no margin for ambiguity or misunderstanding.

ColourBlind allows the team who is blindfolded to work together to solve a problem which is to identify which 2 pieces are missing and what colour they are. They can ask the facilitator what the colour is however they must retain that information. 

The activity lasts for upto 40 minutes and provides for a rich debrief. Often times participants are talking about the same shape however they are describing it so differently that they don't realise that it is the same. This then helps them make links back to the workplace and realise the importance of clarity in communication as well as effective listening & questioning. Keeping the whole group engaged and making sure that team members don't get discouraged an give up. In fact all the things deal with everyday at work.

See the product

 

Colourblind Experiential Learning Activity from RSVP DESIGN on Vimeo.

 

 

 

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Written by

Jaya Machet

Jaya Machet is an Executive coach, Visual & Business Story Powered Communication Facilitator. She helps humanise the workplace through meaningful communication.